The musings of a totally purple obsessed crafter!!!! You name it, if it's purple I WANT IT!!! I'm a rubber stamping card maker who dabbles with making ATC's, scrap booking and more recently art journaling and canvases! I love to distress and I love to make a mess!!! I'm also pretty obsessed with Christmas and make a lot of cards for the occasion. Check out my blog below and leave a comment if you like what you see ....... thanks for stopping by

Wednesday, 30 October 2013

Hi there folks,It's HAPPY 90th BIRTHDAY to my pal, Dorothy today - hope she has a good day and lots of cards and visitors, sorry I won't be one of them.

Well our lovely neighbours granddaughter committed a RAK (that's Random Act of Kindness to those not familiar with the term) recently and made us a batch up cupcakes - chocolate glazed too, and VERY tasty. Rude not to make her a thank you card I thought, so .....

Imagine That sentiment and unknown cupcake image (it's unmounted and I've had it a while) stamped using Memento tuxedo black ink

Alcohol markers to colour

Stardust stickles

Xyron sticker maker and clear gel dimensional dots

Now, don't get me wrong, I LIKE this card but I don't LOVE IT ..... can't quite put my finger on what it is that I don't like either. I've said it before (and it's TRUE, I swear it) we're our own worst critics!!! It could simply be that I'm so used to making more CAS cards that it looks a tad busy but ...... anyhoo, as long as the twelve year old recipient likes it then that's enough for me.Monday saw us heading out to dinner, I'm going to share the photo and will see how many of my regular readers will recognise the location ....
﻿

Where in the World?

And now for my What's On Your Work Desk shot this week ... it's looking particularly messy but fairly creative - ENJOY

Monday, 28 October 2013

If you are fans of the PEANUTS comic strip you will be aware that the intrepid Snoopy is an avid writer and often starts his would be novels the way of the title of this post! PLUS, it seems appropriate as the U.K. battens down the hatches for the storm.

Hope you all remembered to change your clocks yesterday AND are managing to stay safe if you are in the path of the storm/hurricane laughingly called St Jude in memory of the patron Saint of lost causes and who's Saint day is about now too.

Managed to do a little more to my journal page before heading out yesterday, I still think it needs a little something but the jury is still out on what that something might be .... ideas?

I used the offcut from the bottom border to attach to the "Creativity" panel - it was virtually the PERFECT length!! How cool?

It was simply gorgeous weather yesterday, sunny but with a little breeze and with temperatures in the 70°'s (Fahrenheit) it was simply too nice to stay in so we headed for one of our favourite walks. It's a half mile round the lake itself but, by the time you've bobbed off the path here and there and then doubled back a few times, looked in a few stores - I'd say it was a mile! A lovely afternoon rounded off with a hazelnut frappuccino (sp.?)at the Starbucks, mmmmm. AND the sighting of Mr. Al-e-Gator!

Mid way round the lake at Celebration

One of the main streets at Celebration

﻿

We spotted Al-e-Gator masquerading as a lily pad!!! - this one's about 7'0" in length, you wouldn't want to meet him when he's hungry!

And over on the Pan Pastels blog, their new challenge is "SHADES OF GREY".

Have a fab Monday - hope you all manage to stay safe if you are in the path of this storm, the worst in over a decade so, don't go out if you don't need to.

Saturday, 26 October 2013

Second post from me today - don't get used to it!!! If you missed my earlier post and want to check on what I've been up to (with photographs) then either scroll down or follow this link - would hate for you to miss out on some sunshine! I hear the weather's a tad bleak in parts of the U.K. this weekend. The South West appears set to get hit by hurricane force winds on Monday so, do take care if you live and/or work in these areas - stay safe peeps.

Rudolph Day has rolled round again and I will be entering this card in to two challenges, Sarn has a regular challenge on her blog to create a Christmas project and Debs has set the challenge on Craftbubble 2½ (registration required in order to enter) Craft Mad and Loving It group - her challenge is to include embossing (Dry or Heat embossing both count).

Materials used:

14½cm square, 300 gsm, scallop edged card and matching sized envelope

13½cm square pearlised metallic green card from a DCWV stack

13cm square black card panel

12½cm square of white card for my image panel

Three lines embossed using my paper trimmer and a bone folder (necessity being the mother of invention!!)

Still enjoying the sunshine here .... hubby went off to Lakeland's Linder Airfield yesterday as there was a MONSTER PLANES R/C show. Me? I took the car and hit the shops .... Violette's, HobbyLobby, Michael's, Joann's, the mall for lunch - even managing a little Christmas shopping - WOO HOO

Lakeside Mall

Stash Haul!

Hubby had a good time too

This was NOT a model!! It was in the parking lot when I returned to collect hubby!!!

What a BEAUTIFUL day he had for his show?!

A pal of mine has been ill recently and I made her a get well card, which I couldn't share until I knew she had received it ... which she has, so ...

Is it finished? Not sure ..... will just have to wait and see!The new CAS challenge over at Simply Less Is More is to use String or Twine - I can do that!!!Have a great Saturday - it's challenge day so I may be back later AND we're out to dinner with friends this evening - PERFECT!

Friday, 25 October 2013

Hope there's been a lull in the rain for you all and, just maybe, some sunshine. We've just been bumming around. I did try to do some Christmas shopping but .... what I bought had to go back - don't you hate it when that happens? I did have a day shopping with my pal, Sally, again we didn't spend much at the time but .... I have a few ideas for gifties as a result so it wasn't a total waste of time and it WAS good to spend the day with a pal, nattering!

Still, I HAVE managed some crafting lately (though perhaps not as much as I might like - perhaps I'm missing my crafting compadre, Wynneth) and even got to use up some stash on layering - something I've gotten out of the habit of since I discovered Clean And Simple!! It's GOOD to revisit techniques though, don't you find? Anyhoo, here is a card I made using new stash and layers ....

Wednesday, 23 October 2013

How's your week shaping up? I hear tell that the weather is PANTS, and hope it improves sometime soon for everyone. It's due to cool down dramatically here too - if it's of any consolation.

I lost a follower to my blog, these things happen. I've done it myself ..... I appreciate that crafters change their preferences and styles over time but, to whoever you are, sorry to lose you and thanks for following in the first place. To my remaining followers, thanks for sticking with me, I do appreciate it.

I have some projects to share with you this morning. My pal, Sally, asked if I could make her some get well cards so ....

The card itself

The insert and envelops

Materials used:

5" square white card and matching envelope

White card for matting and layering and for the image panel

On the larger white panels I used Memento lulu lavender ink before stamping the Kaisercraft vintage fence and studiog purple ink to provide a border

On the image panel I stamped the Kasiercraft distress image using Brilliance purple ink and the Kaisercraft alphabet image using Brilliance orchid ink. I then stamped the Imagine That sentiment and Stampendous image using Versafine onyx black ink

As you can plainly see, I carried the design across both the insert and envelope too

The card, see the string? That'll be where there was a hole in the card .. what did I do to get round it?
See below

There was a hanging hole through the pad, inconvenient? Yes, but I got round it ..

I only have very limited art supplies here but ... I'm no quitter and I decided to have another go at art journaling with frugal stash .... so, having had a good rummage I started by laying down a mix of my gold and pearl acrylic paints, applied with paper towel ..... it came out a shimmery beige! So far so good.

Materials used:

Strathmore mixed media journal

Gold and pearl acrylic paint applied using paper towel and set aside to dry

And now for my Work Desk this week - heaven knows, it's a mess, but here it is .......

Saturday, 19 October 2013

It's Saturday once more and it's usually challenge day for me, I've posted a list of the challenges I like to enter, along with links, in my side bar so do feel free to check some out sometime. I may well be back with something later.Yesterday saw our friends heading home after a couple of weeks stay close to us, we thoroughly enjoyed time with them and some fantastic meals/day trips/shopping etc. Safe journey home Wynneth and Tom and a very Happy Birthday to their son, who's birthday is today.

For our last meal out - on Thursday -we opted for Manny's, despite deciding (as we headed out the door) that we were going to the outback steakhouse!!! Funny how these things work out. Now Roger is a firm advocate of the ribs at Manny's (though I USUALLY get the steak) so I decided to try the half rack of ribs, at $14.99 they were not expensive. When they arrived, it was a plateful and, to be honest, I rested my knife on the top and it simply slid through the meat - now THAT's what I call succulent ..... and tasty too, with the added bonus of being on an earlybird special at just $11.49 - OMG! Great value. Our server, Josie, was a great enhancer of our experience too and offered to take some photos for us and to pose too. Here are some photos I'd like to share with you all .....

Josie's revenge!!

Party of four, ready for dinner

Fab cloud formation, about 10:00pm

Bye Bye Wynneth and Tom

Of course, on our way home W&T's car "accidentally" turned in to the parking lot of Michaels - for Wynneth to have one last look ...... churlish not to use my 40% discount coupon that had been burning a hole in my purse!

And now, for some crafting. I recently got the great news that a pal had passed her exam so I made her a card and mailed it but had to wait till I knew she'd received it before I could share it with you all, she has, so here it is .....

On Wednesday, four of us set off for Spring Hill and Crystal River, it's a fair old distance from us so it was always going to be a "road trip"!! We left here about 10:30 and reached our first destination (Stamp and Scrap-a-latte) around 12:30 where Nancy was there to greet us and show us around her lovely store. It was such a shame that most of her stock was wood mounted otherwise we would probably have done a lot more damage to our credit cards! Storage and transportation being the problem that it is we had to be RUTHLESS! Then it was across the parking lot to a small independent café for a bite of lunch. Sadly, the iced tea was a little bitter but the grilled cheese sandwich was very tasty and the boys said their pancakes were DELICIOUS - all round, a hit! It was then on to Crystal River where we had hoped to see some manatees heading inland to warmer waters but it would seem that the sea hasn't yet cooled sufficiently for them to make this journey in any numbers and we didn't see a single one, though it's obviously about that time of the year as a manatee spotting boat trip has already started ...... I have some pix to share with you all and I hope you will still enjoy them, despite the absence of manatees!

My stash haul from Stamp and Scrap-a-latte

Obviously manatees are expected soon, judging from the boat tours!

Such a nice little park/dock to spend an hour

We moved to another spot .... in the hope of seeing manatees

But still no luck, I guess we're probably a couple of weeks too early

And now it's that time of the week ....... time for the Friday Funny, courtesy of Lesley Thomas, thanks to her!

Today’s picture of true
concentration.

It was later reported
that his wife got out safely, and that he did indeed par the
hole.

He says the divorce
isn't going to be that bad, now that there’s no house
involved!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.

I'm a floating list manager

About Me

I'm married to an avid radio control model plane enthusiast - every man should have a hobby, especially if it leaves me free to craft without GUILT!!!! We are both free to indulge our hobbies and mine is rubber stamping. Mostly I make cards and ATC's though I've been gradually getting more and more in to mixed media, art journalling and scrap booking!. I'll have a go at most crafts . . . some even more than once!!!

Housekeeping!

Please be advised that all photographs and craft projects (unless otherwise credited) are the copyright property of this particular Purple Princess and may not be reproduced without permission, though I'm happy for you to use my work as inspiration - and would ask that you credit me, with a link to my blog if you are simply CASe-ing my work.